Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-12-23

even at City to have had quiet life aud
then her eyes were tuu dark They were.
deep us we'll as dark and bright as well rs
deep, they flashed os easily as a September
sea She had uboundng health. aud sang
like morning star sometimes even now
her hair seemed to have turned gray more
because it became her than because she
was growing old. She had an erect figure
richly moulded, and firm. musicians
hand Her face was vivid aud strong
when she was moved i'm the right way it
was sweet.
Strong or sweet, or brave or merry. it
was impossible at Christmas time and
birthday time not to remember Hor "a
woman remembers She had often pray
ed for a mans power of forgetting, and
then prayed to be forgiven for the pray err
She knew that she would not have felt She
was half woman if she could forget She
would have scorned herself as if she had
done something rude. It was the way she
was made it was like the depth of her
eyes or the quality Of her soprano Who
was to help il She had loved one man
and he had died Her story was the story
of her country. Twenty-one, almost TWEEN
ty-two years ago. Annie Laurie was one Of
those who gave their happiness instead
He gave his life she knew it was the casi
cr portion she never said so, lest She
should seem to undervalue his share Of
their sacrifice or overvalue hers. They
loved each other, and he went to the war
They had loved much--being 50 young
and she had thought he would come through
somehow and come back to her. She real
ly had. 1t was her ardent, vigorous ma
ture 10 do So She had hoped easily or at
least deeply she did not believe that
George would be killed She had expected
to be happy. She always had been. She
had known the glad youth Of health and
ease and beauty. IL was new to have to
suffer. She had to learn how.
Theirs had been one Of the natural hap
py betrothals whereunto all the common
currents of life set easily. Friends had
blessed and circumstances had laughed
Annie Laurie was the daughter of the vii
lage doctor George Cliff was in the Gran
ite company-,rdS the Granite company af-
ter his father died iAnd the Granite com
pany failed during the war: after he was
shot Her lover was older than she They
had known each other half their lives. ev-
er since DR.. Laurie bought out the old deaf
doctors practice Everybody was glad to
have them marry. Their personal prefer
ence seemed really only the official expires
sion of public opinion; that was delightful
lhe handsome glrl was well liked III Stone
port even then she had her fathers hearty
way with people, though she did not trouble
herself about the quarrymen in those days
She was too merry girl to play My Lady
Bountiful. Hers had been the humanity
learned at the feet Of sorrow. and. like the
other lessons which are taught 10y that thor
ough teacher, learned well if learned at all
She was going down into the kitchen to
give an order for her fathers comfort for
she was a motherless girll one May day
now almost twenty-five years ago. when
the doctor came in and called her, in
voice which she had never heard in all her
life. He met her at the head of the stars.
The entry window was open She saw the
sky and birds and the branch of the old
maple. She had ON pink summer dress,
for it was warm. Blue of the sky and rose
of the happy womans robe melted into
dense violet haze between herself and her
| father, face. The old man held the morn
| Ing paper in his shaking hand.
"Wait minute, father" said Annie
| Laurie. "Jane, make the doctors coffee
carefully for dinner He Is tired
Then she turned and kissed him before
she put out her hand and took the paper,
and went with it alone upstairs. From
| Eiizdbeh Stuart Ihcip~'S Christmas story
| in DeceDbcr Hdipcr'S